Stephen Gallagher wrote in USMA 18392:
>> If we can use centre and theatre in the US, there is no reason we
>>can't use metre.
>
>Keep in mind the international spelling ie: centre and theatre,
>in the US, is used very sporadically, and when it is used it's
>usually because it is eye catching and or it invokes an
>international flavour.
Albert Mettler, Secretary of the Canadian Metric Association, carried out
an International Survey of Metric Practice in 1975-76. He found that:
Languages that spell Countries Population
(millions)
*metre and litre*
British English United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, etc. 145
French (m�tre) France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, etc. 90
Turkish Turkey (literacy 58%) 39
---
274
*meter and liter*
American English United States, etc. 213
German Germany, Austria, Switzerland 120
Bahasa Indonesian Indonesia (61% literacy) 85
Javanese Java (Indonesia) 44
Dutch Netherlands, Belgium 20
Afrikaans South Africa 15
Hungarian (m�ter) Hungary 13
Swedish Sweden, Finland 10
Danish Denmark 5
Norwegian Norway 4
Estonian (meeter) Estonia 1
---
530
*metro and litro*
Spanish Spain, most of Latin America 213
Portuguese Portugal (literacy 60%), Brazil 124
Italian Italy, Switzerland 60
Tagalog Philippines
21
---
418
*metr and litr*
Polish Poland 35
Czech Czech Republic 11
Slovak Slovakia 4
--
50
*Other spellings*
Romanian (metru) Romanian 22
Finnish (metri) Finland 5
Croatian, Slovenian
(metar) Yugoslavia 7
--
34
*Summary* *metre* *meter* *metro* *metr* *other* *total*
Totals (millions) 274 530 418 50 34 1302
Proportion 21% 41% 32% 4% 3%
Number of literates
(millions) 245 455 320 45 30 1095
Proportion 22% 42% 29% 4% 3%
Note that figures are for populations that use the Roman alphabet.
Comments by JBR
It is only the symbols for units that are standarized by the CGPM; the
names of units vary from language to language.
It may say something about contrariness of metric devotees that Louis
Sokol, of Czech descent, Secretary of the US Metric Association favored,
"metre" because in writing it made a distinction from "meter", an
instrument. English is the only language I know of in which this
distinction is necessary or possible.
On the other hand, Albert Mettler, Secretary of the Canadian Metric
Association, of German Swiss background, favored "meter" because it is
phonetic and more widely used.
I favor Sokol's argument.
Joseph B.Reid
17 Glebe Road West
Toronto M5P 1C8 TEL. 416-486-6071
